NYS Landforms

Website example and instructions for unit project involving field trips to local landforms and website creation for NYS Earth Science Class.

1. This project exceeds the
requirements set forth in the
assignment and receives this seal
of excellence in recognition of
work well done.
NYS
NYS Landforms
Home
Adirondack Mountains
Finger Lakes
Niagara Falls
Howe Caverns
Thousand Islands
Moraines and Drumlins
Glaciers
Teacher Page
Rubrics and Student Forms
Google Maps Landform Locations
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2. This project exceeds the
requirements set forth in the
assignment and receives this seal
of excellence in recognition of
work well done.
NYS
NYS Landforms
Home
Adirondack Mountains
Finger Lakes
Niagara Falls
Howe Caverns
Thousand Islands
Moraines and Drumlins
Glaciers
Teacher Page
Rubrics and Student Forms
Google Maps Landform Locations
Adirondack Mountains
Towering above New York's
landscape, the Adirondack
Mountains stand as a monument to
the ice age. Five million years ago,
small alpine glaciers carved their
way through the Northeastern
United States. As they moved
through what is now the Adirondack
Region, stones deposited by the
glacier were scattered across the
landscape. Massive chunks of ice
broke away from the glacier, and
were buried beneath sand and
gravel washed from the ice. As
these ice chunks melted,
depressions, called kettle holes,
were formed. When the kettle hole
extended below the water table, a
pond was created. Many of the
small, circular ponds you see while hiking in the high peak began as kettle holes.
Over thousands of years, as glaciers carved away the landscape, the mountains began to take shape. Unlike the
Rockies and the Appalachians, the Adirondack Mountains do not form a connected range, but rather a 160-mile
wide dome of more than 100 peaks. Although the mountains are formed from ancient rocks more than 1,000
million years old, geologically, the dome is a newborn. The Adirondack Peaks can be anywhere from 1,200 feet
tall to well over 5,000 feet tall, and the 46 tallest summits above 4,000 feet are called the High Peaks. Although
four peaks were later discovered to measure less than 4,000 feet, they are still considered Adirondack High
Peaks.
The highest of all the peaks is Mount Marcy, towering 5,344 feet above sea level. It is one of the most distinctive
features of the Adirondack landscape. Mount Marcy is home to Lake Tear of the Clouds, the highest lake in New
York State at 4,292 feet, and the source of the Hudson River. The Adirondack Mountains are about 6 million
acres of forests, streams, rivers, lakes, and mounatins. They are located in Northern New York, about 225 miles
north of New York City and 75 miles south of Montreal, Canada. In 1892 the Adirondacks were named a State
Park. (Ref: http://visitadirondacks.com/adirondack-mountains.html)
Interesting Facts About the Adirondack Mountains
• Mt. Marcy is the tallest of the Adirondack Mountains at 5,344 ft.
• There are 2,000 miles of foot trails.
• There are 2,300 lakes & ponds.
• There are 1,500 miles of rivers.
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3. This project exceeds the
requirements set forth in the
assignment and receives this seal
of excellence in recognition of
work well done.
NYS
NYS Landforms
Home
Adirondack Mountains
Finger Lakes
Niagara Falls
Howe Caverns
Thousand Islands
Moraines and Drumlins
Glaciers
Teacher Page
Rubrics and Student Forms
Google Maps Landform Locations
Finger Lakes
The Finger Lakes are made up
of eleven lakes. Their
names, from east to west, are:
Otisco, Skaneateles, Owasco,
Cayuga, Seneca, Keuka,
Canandaigua, Honeoye,
Canadice, Hemlock, and
Conesus. They are called finger
lakes because they are shaped
like the fingers of a hand.
During the last Ice Age, the ice
was over a mile thick. As time
went on, the ice sheet grew and
with its force created valleys,
lakes, rivers, and even rounded
mountain ranges. As this
glacier withdrew, it carved out
valleys. Then, as the glacier
melted, the waters began to fill
these new valleys forming the
Finger Lakes. The deep weight of the glacier made some parts of this area deeper than others. The Finger
Lakes are stretched in the direction of the ice movement. This is how the different shapes and sizes of the Finger
Lakes came to be. (Ref: http://www.fingerlakes.org/)
Interesting Facts About the Finger Lakes
•Cayuga Lake is 40 miles long and 1 to 3 miles wide, 435 feet deep and 380 feet above sea level.
•Cayuga and Seneca Lake are connected at their northern ends by a canal.
•The Finger Lakes are home to more than 100 wineries.
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4. This project exceeds the
requirements set forth in the
assignment and receives this seal
of excellence in recognition of
work well done.
NYS
NYS Landforms
Home
Adirondack Mountains
Finger Lakes
Niagara Falls
Howe Caverns
Thousand Islands
Moraines and Drumlins
Glaciers
Teacher Page
Rubrics and Student Forms
Google Maps Landform Locations
Niagara Falls
During the last ice age, a
large sheet of ice covered
Canada and parts of New
York. As this sheet of ice
started to melt, water began
to flow back to the ocean
through a channel that went
across New York to the
Hudson River Valley. As the
flow continued, the water
levels began to drop.
Eventually, a new channel
was exposed which would
become the Niagara River.
Water from Lake Erie now
flowed into Lake Iroquois (the
name for a lake that stood
where Lake Ontario is but
was larger). As the last
remaining parts of the sheet
of ice melted from the Thousand Islands, a great rush of water drained Lake Iroquois through the St. Lawrence
River and emptied into the Atlantic Ocean. Now the waters flowed from Lake Erie through the Niagara River into
Lake Ontario and out the St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic Ocean. (Ref:
http://www.niagarafallsstatepark.com/Formation-and-Discovery.aspx)
Interesting Facts About Niagara Falls
•A 7 year old boy wearing only life jacket and bathing suit accidentally went over the Canadian Falls and
survived during the summer of 1960.
•More than 6 million cubic feet of water goes over the falls every minute during peak daytime hours.
•Niagara Falls is comprised of three waterfalls: American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Horseshoe Falls.
•The Canadian Falls, shaped like a horseshoe, are 177 feet high and the American Falls are184 feet high.
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5. This project exceeds the
requirements set forth in the
assignment and receives this seal
of excellence in recognition of
work well done.
NYS
NYS Landforms
Home
Adirondack Mountains
Finger Lakes
Niagara Falls
Howe Caverns
Thousand Islands
Moraines and Drumlins
Glaciers
Teacher Page
Rubrics and Student Forms
Google Maps Landform Locations
Howe Caverns
Howe Caverns is a limestone cave
located the eastern central part in
Schoharie County 156 feet
underground. Since it is so far
underground, the temperature stays
at 52 °F year round. Caverns are
very humid, which means they are
not only cool but also damp. To
explore the caverns you need to
take a 32 second elevator ride
underneath the earth. These
caverns stretch a little less than a
mile and end at an underground
lake. During tours of the caverns,
after walkting to the end, you are
allowed to take a short boat ride on
the underground lake.
Like other landforms, Howe
Caverns took a long time to form.
At one time, this area would have
been a solid piece of limestone.
Over time, rain found its way into the limestone. As the rain fell from the sky it absorbed carbon dioxide and
turned into a very weak carbonic acid. This acidic water slowly dissolved the limestone over thousands of
years. As a result, chambers, rooms, and passageways were carved out ultimately creating the cavern as we
know it today. (Ref: http://howecaverns.com/history)
Intersting FactsAbout Howe Caverns
•Lester Howe accidentally found Howe Caverns on May 22, 1842. Howe noticed that his cows seemed to be
grazing in the same spot every day. When he went to find out why, the temperature seemed to be quite
cooler where the cows were grazing. As he approached that same spot, he found an opening to the cave all
because of one cow named Milicent that stood closest to the opening.
•Howe Caverns has little animal or plant life. It is a closed ecological system, which means that the food web
stays only in the cave.
•Unique stone formations grow deep inside the caverns. Large formations known as stalactites grow down
from the cavern ceilings. Large formations known as stalagmites grow up from the ground. (A neat way to
learn the meanings of these terms and not be confused is to remember the “c” (grows down from ceiling) in
stalactites and the “g” (grows up from ground) in .stalagmites.
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6. This project exceeds the
requirements set forth in the
assignment and receives this seal
of excellence in recognition of
work well done.
NYS
NYS Landforms
Home
Adirondack Mountains
Finger Lakes
Niagara Falls
Howe Caverns
Thousand Islands
Moraines and Drumlins
Glaciers
Teacher Page
Rubrics and Student Forms
Google Maps Landform Locations
Thousand Islands
How many islands make up
the Thousand Islands?
There are at least 1,700
islands between Canada and
the United States in the
region called Thousand
Islands in the St. Lawrence
River. Most of the islands
are relatively small, but there
are a few that stretch 5 to 6
miles long. These islands
are found in about a 40-mile
stretch on the river where it
turns very wide as it leaves
Lake Ontario. The
Thousand Islands reach the
Canadian side from Wolfe
Island near Kingston, Ontario
to Brockville, Ontario and
goes over to the American
side from Tibbets Point on
Lake Ontario to Morristown,
New York. Long before the
French explorers found this area, this land was occupied by the five member nations of the Iroquois. This
included the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, and the Cayuga Indians.
During the last Ice Age, which happened about 18,000 years ago, the ice was over a mile thick. As time went on,
the ice sheet grew and with its force, created valleys, lakes, rivers, and even rounded mountain ranges when it
began to withdraw. It also crushed things that did not move like a huge bulldozer. As it withdrew, the glacier left
a large channel to the valley. As the glacier melted, the waters began to fill this new channel. The deep weight of
the glacier made some parts of this area deeper than others. This is how the different shapes and sizes of the
Thousand Islands came to be. (Ref: http://oliver_kilian.tripod.com/1000islands/IsIn2-Rocks/rocks.htm)
Interesting Facts About the Thousand Islands
•There are at least 1,700 islands that make up the Thousand Islands.
•Seventeen of these islands are included in the St. Lawrence Islands National Park.
•First European settlement in this area was located in Kingston in 1675, with the opening of Fort Frontanac.
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7. This project exceeds the
requirements set forth in the
assignment and receives this seal
of excellence in recognition of
work well done.
NYS
NYS Landforms
Home
Adirondack Mountains
Finger Lakes
Niagara Falls
Howe Caverns
Thousand Islands
Moraines and Drumlins
Glaciers
Teacher Page
Rubrics and Student Forms
Google Maps Landform Locations
Moraines and Drumlins
The "Ice age" was really a
series of many advances
and retreats of glaciers.
The Finger Lakes were
probably carved by several
of these episodes. Ice
sheets more than two miles
thick flowed southward,
parallel but opposite to the
flow of the rivers, gouging
deep trenches into these
river valleys. Traces of
most of the earlier glacial
events have vanished, but
much evidence remains of
the last one or two glaciers
that covered New York.
The latest glacial episode was most extensive around 21,000 years ago, when glaciers covered
almost the entire state. Around 19,000 years ago, the climate warmed, and the glacier began to
retreat, disappearing entirely from New York for the last time around 11,000 years ago.
The most obvious evidence left by the glaciers are the gravel deposits at the south ends of the
Finger Lakes called moraines and streamlined elongated hills of glacial sediment called drumlins.
Moraines are visible south of Ithaca at North Spencer, along Route 13 west of Newfield, and near
Willseyville. Drumlins are visible northeast of Ithaca at the northern end of Cayuga and Seneca
lakes in a broad band from Rochester to Syracuse. (Ref:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/172086/drumlin)
Interesting Facts About Morains and Drumlins
• The long axis of a drumlin lies parallel to the direction of the advance.
•Drumlins can vary widely in size, with lengths from 0.6 to 1.2 miles, heights from 50 to 100
feet, and widths from 1300 to 2000 feet.
• Most drumlins are composed of till, but they may vary greatly in their composition. Some
contain significant amounts of gravels, whereas others are made up of rock underlying the
surface till.
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8. This project exceeds the
requirements set forth in the
assignment and receives this seal
of excellence in recognition of
work well done.
NYS
NYS Landforms
Home
Adirondack Mountains
Finger Lakes
Niagara Falls
Howe Caverns
Thousand Islands
Moraines and Drumlins
Glaciers
Teacher Page
Rubrics and Student Forms
Google Maps Landform Locations
Glaciers
Even though you've probably
never seen a glacier, they are a
big item of importance when we
talk about New York State's
geology.
In a way, glaciers are just frozen
rivers of ice flowing downhill.
Glaciers begin life as
snowflakes. When the snowfall
in an area far exceeds the
melting that occurs during
summer, glaciers start to form.
The weight of the accumulated
snow compresses the fallen
snow into ice. These "rivers" of
ice are tremendously heavy, and
if they are on land that has a
downhill slope the whole ice
patch starts to slowly grind its
way downhill. Even when they
are melting and receeding they maintain their downhill movement. These glaciers can vary greatly in size, from a
football-field sized patch to a river a hundred miles long.
Glaciers have had a profound effect on the topography in NYS, other states in the northern U.S and in Canada.
Imagine how a billion-ton ice cube can rearrange the landscape as it slowly grinds its way overland. In this picture
you can see the bowl-shaped valley in a glacial valley glacier forces its way through the landscape. Many lakes,
such as the Great Lakes, and valleys have been carved out by ancient glaciers. (Ref:
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/earthglacier.html)
Interesting Facts About the Glaciers
• During the last ice age (when glaciers covered more land area than today) the sea level was about 400 feet
lower than it is today. At that time, glaciers covered almost one-third of the land.
• During the last warm spell, 125,000 years ago, the seas were about 18 feet higher than they are today.
About three million years ago the seas could have been up to 165 feet higher.
• Glaciers store about 69% of the world's freshwater, and if all land ice melted the seas would rise about 70
meters (about 230 feet).
•
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9. This project exceeds the
requirements set forth in the
assignment and receives this seal
of excellence in recognition of
work well done.
NYS
NYS Landforms
Home
Adirondack Mountains
Finger Lakes
Niagara Falls
Howe Caverns
Thousand Islands
Moraines and Drumlins
Glaciers
Teacher Page
Rubrics and Student Forms
Google Maps Landform Locations
Teacher Page
Overview
Note: This is one piece of what could be a full year project with each unit. It will be important for the teacher to be
aware of each student’s situation so that alterations can be made for the independent portion if necessary.
Students will be working in groups, independently and with technology as well as making real world observations
and practicing real world reporting. Ideally this project could be taken on by schools across the state or country
and students could share their local landforms with each other.
As students progress through a unit on landforms, they will use their observation skills in a real world
application and then report their findings. Students will make observations, recall or research the processes that
created the landforms, utilize digital photography, GPS technology and create a personal review website.
Students will participate in a field trip to at least 3 local landforms that are discussed in class. At the end of
the unit (following the field trip) each student will be responsible for creating their own website that will include their
authentic photograph of the landform, their observations, formation information, GPS location, and three facts
about the landform that the student found interesting.
Students will work in groups of 3 to photograph, take GPS coordinate readings of their location, map it on a
map (perhaps Google Earth) and make authentic observations.
In addition to the 3 landforms observed on the field trip, each student will be required to independently seek out 1
additional landform and complete all the previously mentioned components. Each student will then share their
information on the landform with the others in their group. It will be the responsibility of each student to verify that
the information that they include on their website is accurate and complete.
If a student is unable to seek out a local landform on their own due to a lack of transportation or family
responsibility, they will be allowed to research and use an available image of a well known landform.
After the websites are completed, the teacher will grade them with the use of a rubric. Badges will be
awarded as follows: 1-the teacher will award a “Teachers Seal of Excellence” to websites that meet and or
surpasses all required elements. 2- Each student will view all classmates’ websites and choose a favorite. The one
with the most votes will be awarded a “Class Favorite” badge.
Additionally, each student will be required to peer review 3 other students work (these may NOT be group
members). Students will use the Peer Review Form.
The goals of this project are to get students out of the classroom to actually see, touch and experience the
landforms they have learned about and to work on their observation and reporting skills. Students will also benefit
from group work and the sharing of their finding of their individual component.
Prior Knowledge and Standards
As students begin this project, they will need some prior knowledge to successfully complete it. Students
will need to understand that Landforms are the result of Earth processes and time. Students will need to have a
basic knowledge of GPS and what it is used for as well as an understanding of how to make and report
observations.
Students will be exposed to many NYS standards during this project.
Standard 2: Information Systems
Key Idea 1: Information technology is used to retrieve, process, and communicate information as a tool to
enhance learning.
Key Idea 2: Knowledge of the impacts and limitations of information systems is essential to its effective
and ethical use.
Standard 6: Interconnectedness, Common Themes:
Key Idea 1: Systems Thinking: Through systems thinking, people can recognize the commonalities that
exist among all systems and how parts of a system interrelate and combine to perform specific
functions
Key Idea 3: Magnitude and Scale: The grouping of magnitudes of size, time, frequency, and pressures or
other units of measurement into a series of relative order provides a useful way to deal with the immense range
and the changes in scale that affect the behavior and design of systems.
Standard 4,Key Idea 2, Performance Indicators
2.1m Many processes of the rock cycle are consequences of plate dynamics. These include the production
of magma (and subsequent igneous rock formation and contact metamorphism) at both subduction and rifting
regions, regional metamorphism within subduction
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10. zones, and the creation of major depositional basins through down-warping of the crust.
2.1n Many of Earth’s surface features such as mid-ocean ridges/rifts, trenches/subduction zones/island
arcs, mountain ranges (folded, faulted, and volcanic), hot spots, and the magnetic and age patterns in surface
bedrock are a consequence of forces associated with plate motion and interaction.
2.1p Landforms are the result of the interaction of tectonic forces and the processes of
weathering, erosion, and deposition.
2.1r Climate variations, structure, and characteristics of bedrock influence the development of landscape
features including mountains, plateaus, plains, valleys, ridges,
escarpments, and stream drainage patterns.
2.1t Natural agents of erosion, generally driven by gravity, remove, transport, and
deposit weathered rock particles. Each agent of erosion produces distinctive changes
in the material that it transports and creates characteristic surface features and landscapes. In certain erosional
situations, loss of property, personal injury, and loss of life can be reduced by effective emergency preparedness.
2.1u The natural agents of erosion include:
• Streams (running water): Gradient, discharge, and channel shape influence a stream’s velocity and the erosion
and deposition of sediments. Sediments transported by streams tend to become rounded as a result of abrasion.
Stream features include V-shaped valleys, deltas, flood plains, and meanders. A watershed is the area drained by
a stream and its tributaries.
• Glaciers (moving ice): Glacial erosional processes include the formation of U-shaped valleys, parallel scratches,
and grooves in bedrock. Glacial features include moraines, drumlins, kettle lakes, finger lakes, and outwash
plains.
• Wave Action: Erosion and deposition cause changes in shoreline features, including beaches, sandbars, and
barrier islands. Wave action rounds sediments as a result of abrasion. Waves approaching a shoreline move sand
parallel to the shore within the zone of breaking waves.
• Wind: Erosion of sediments by wind is most common in arid climates and along shorelines. Wind-generated
features include dunes and sand-blasted bedrock.
• Mass Movement: Earth materials move downslope under the influence of gravity.
2.1v Patterns of deposition result from a loss of energy within the transporting system
and are influenced by the size, shape, and density of the transported particles. Sediment
deposits may be sorted or unsorted.
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Teacher overview.pdf Benjamin Rosenthal,
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11. This project exceeds the
requirements set forth in the
assignment and receives this seal
of excellence in recognition of
work well done.
NYS
NYS Landforms
Home
Adirondack Mountains
Finger Lakes
Niagara Falls
Howe Caverns
Thousand Islands
Moraines and Drumlins
Glaciers
Teacher Page
Rubrics and Student Forms
Google Maps Landform Locations
Rubrics and Student Forms
Landforms Project
You will be putting your observation and reporting skills to work and creating your own review
website that will help you get to know the wondrous world right outside your door!
As we move through our unit on landforms, we will be continually working towards each of you creating
your own website. Your website will include several components that will be useful to you especially when you
begin to review for the final exam.
You will be put into groups of 3. when we take our field trip to some local landforms, your group will be required to:
a. take a photograph of the landform,
b. take a GPS coordinate reading,
c. pin point the GPS reading on a map that will be put onto each of your websites,
d. make authentic observations and write them into your journals.
*You each will also be adding 3 interesting facts about each landform to your individual sites
After the field trip you each will make your own website using the information that you gathered along with
your independent landform observation and photo. Each of you will be required to individually seek out,
identify, photograph, observe and describe one landform other than the ones found on the field trip.
***
Attached is the rubric that explains the project and my expectations. Please see me if you have any questions
or do not fully understand the project or directions.***
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Earth Science Reference Tables - 2011.pdfBenjamin Rosenthal,
v.1
Peer Review Doc.pdf Benjamin Rosenthal,
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Project Rubric.pdf Benjamin Rosenthal,
v.1
Student Field Trip Sheet.pdf Benjamin Rosenthal,
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Student overview.pdf Benjamin Rosenthal,
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12. Heat energy gained during melting . . . . . . . . . . 334 J/g
Heat energy released during freezing . . . . . . . . 334 J/g
Heat energy gained during vaporization . . . . . 2260 J/g
Heat energy released during condensation . . . 2260 J/g
Density at 3.98°C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0 g/mL
New York State Fossil
2011 EDITION
This edition of the Earth Science Reference Tables should be used in the
classroom beginning in the 2011–12 school year. The first examination for
which these tables will be used is the January 2012 Regents Examination in
Physical Setting/Earth Science.
The University of the State of New York • THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT • Albany, New York 12234 • www.nysed.gov
Reference Tables for
Physical Setting/EARTH SCIENCE
Eccentricity =
distance between foci
length of major axis
Gradient =
change in field value
distance
Density =
mass
volume
Rate of change =
change in value
time
Equations
RADIOACTIVE
ISOTOPE
DISINTEGRATION HALF-LIFE
(years)
Carbon-14
Potassium-40
Uranium-238
Rubidium-87
C
14
K
40
U
238
Rb
87
N
14
Pb
206
Sr
87
5.7 × 10
3
1.3 × 10
9
4.5 × 10
9
4.9 × 10
10
Ar
40
Ca
40
Specific Heats of Common MaterialsRadioactive Decay Data
Properties of Water
Average Chemical Composition
of Earth’s Crust, Hydrosphere, and Troposphere
MATERIAL SPECIFIC HEAT
(Joules/gram • °C)
Liquid water 4.18
Solid water (ice) 2.11
Water vapor 2.00
Dry air 1.01
Basalt 0.84
Granite 0.79
Iron 0.45
Copper 0.38
Lead 0.13
ELEMENT
(symbol)
CRUST HYDROSPHERE TROPOSPHERE
Percent by massPercent by volume Percent by volume Percent by volume
Oxygen (O) 46.10 94.04 33.0 21.0
Silicon (Si) 28.20 0.88
Aluminum (Al) 8.23 0.48
Iron (Fe) 5.63 0.49
Calcium (Ca) 4.15 1.18
Sodium (Na) 2.36 1.11
Magnesium (Mg) 2.33 0.33
Potassium (K) 2.09 1.42
Nitrogen (N) 78.0
Hydrogen (H) 66.0
Other 0.91 0.07 1.0 1.0
Eurypterus remipes

13. Physical Setting/Earth Science Reference Tables — 2011 Edition 2
Generalized Landscape Regions of New York State
A
p
p
a
l
a
c
h
i
a
n
P
la
t
e
a
u
(
U
p
l
a
n
d
s
)
Interior Lowlands
Grenville Province
(Highlands)
New England Province
(Highlands)
A
tl
a
n
ti
cC
oa
sta
l
Pla
in
Allegheny Plateau
Erie-Ontario Lowlands
(Plains)
Tug Hill
Plateau
Adirondack
Mountains
Lake Erie
Lake Ontario
Interior
Lowlands
St. Lawrence Lowlands
ChamplainLowlands
Hudson Highlands
Manhattan Prong
The Catskills
Taconic Mountains
H
udson-Mohaw
k
Lowlands
Newark
Lowlands
Major geographic province boundary
Landscape region boundary
State boundary
International boundary
Key
N
S
WE
02040
02040
60 80
Kilometers
Miles
10 30 50

14. elevation 175 m
LAKE
43°
79°78° 77°
44°
76°
45°
75°74°
73°
45°
44°
43°
42°
73°
72°
41°
73°
40°30'
73°30' 74°
41°
75°
76° 77° 78° 79°
42°
elevation 75 m
LAKE ONTARIO
JAMESTOWN
BUFFALO
ELMIRA
ITHACA
BINGHAMTON
SLIDE MT.
KINGSTON
NEW YORK
CITY
NIAGARA FALLS
ROCHESTER
SYRACUSE
UTICA
OSWEGO
OLD FORGE
VERMONT
PLATTSBURGH
MT. MARCY
MASSENA
St. Lawrence River
Hudson
River
MohawkRiver
River
Susquehanna
Delaware
River
FINGER LAKES
CONNECTICUT
NEW JERSEY
PENNSYLVANIA
LAKE
ATLANTIC OCEAN
Miles
Kilometers
Genesee River
LONG ISLAND
RIVERHEAD
River
Hudson
WATERTOWN
050 40302010
080 604020
MASSACHUSETTS
41°
ALBANY
ERIE
L
O
N
G
I
S
L
A
N
D
S
O
U
N
D
CHA
M
P
LAIN
Physical Setting/Earth Science Reference Tables — 2011 Edition 3
modified from
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM
1989
N
iagaraRiver
GEOLOGIC PERIODS AND ERAS IN NEW YORK CRETACEOUS and PLEISTOCENE (Epoch) weakly consoli dated to unconsolidated gravels, sands, and clays
LATE TRIASSIC and EARLY JURASSIC conglomerates, red sandstones, red shales, basalt, and diabase (Palisades sill)
PENNSYLVANIAN and MISSISSIPPIAN conglomerates, sandstones, and shales
DEVONIAN
limestones, shales, sandstones, and conglomerates
SILURIANSILURIAN
also contains salt, gypsum, and hematite.
ORDOVICIAN
limestones, shales, sandstones, and dolostones
CAMBRIAN
CAMBRIAN and EARLY ORDOVICIAN sandstones and dolostones
moderately to intensely metamorphosed east of the Hudson River
CAMBRIAN and ORDOVICIAN (undifferentiated) quartzites, dolostones, marbles, and schists
intensely metamorphosed; includes portions of the Taconic Sequence and Cortlandt Complex
TACONIC SEQUENCE sandstones, shales, and slates
slightly to intensely metamorphosed rocks of
CAMBRIAN
through
MIDDLE ORDOVICIAN
ages
MIDDLE PROTEROZOIC gneisses, quartzites, and marbles
Lines are generalized structure trends.
MIDDLE PROTEROZOIC anorthositic rocks
}
}
}}}
Dominantly
sedimentary
origin
Dominantly
metamorphosed
rocks
Intensely metamorphosed rocks
(regional metamorphism about 1,000 m.y.a.)
N
S
WE
02040
02040
60 80
Kilometers
Miles
10 30 50
Generalized Bedrock Geology of New York State

15. Physical Setting/Earth Science Reference Tables — 2011 Edition 4
Surface Ocean Currents

16. Physical Setting/Earth Science Reference Tables — 2011 Edition 5
P
e
ru-ChileTrench
Hawaii
Hot Spot
San Andreas
Fault
Juan de
Fuca Plate
Philippine
Plate
A
le
u
t
ia
n
T
r
e
n
c
h
Yellowstone
Hot Spot
North American
Plate
African
Plate
Cocos
Plate
Caribbean
Plate
M
i
d
-
A
tl
a
n
t
i
c
Ri
d
ge Canary
Islands
Hot Spot
South
American
Plate
Galapagos
Hot Spot Nazca
Plate
Antarctic
Plate
Indian-Australian
Plate
Pacific
Plate
Fiji Plate
E
a
s
t
P
a
c
if
ic
Ridge
Antarctic
Plate
Arabian
Plate
Eurasian
Plate
Eurasian
Plate
Iceland
Hot Spot
EastAfrican
R
i
f
t
M
id
-IndianRidge
S
o
u
th
e
a
s
t
In
d
ia
n
R
id
g
e
Southwest Indian
Ridge
Scotia
Plate
Sandwich
Plate
Mid-AtlanticRidge
Easter Island
Hot Spot
St. Helena
Hot Spot
Bouvet
Hot Spot
Key NOTE: Not all mantle hot spots, plates, and
boundaries are shown.
Complex or uncertain
plate boundary
Relative motion at
plate boundary
Mantle
hot spot
Divergent plate boundary
(usually broken by transform
faults along mid-ocean ridges)
Convergent plate boundary
(subduction zone)
subducting
plate
overriding
plate
Transform plate boundary
(transform fault)
Tectonic Plates
Tasman
Hot Spot
M
a
riana
T
r
ench
Tonga
Trench

17. Physical Setting/Earth Science Reference Tables — 2011 Edition 6
E
r
o
s
i
o
n
W
e
a
t
h
e
r
in
g
&
E
r
o
si
o
n
(
U
p
lif
t
)
M
e
t
a
m
o
r
p
h
i
s
m
M
e
l
t
in
g
Solidifi c a
tio
nM
eltingWea
thering
&
Eros
ion
(U
pl
ift
)
Metamorphism
W
e
at
he
ri
ng
&
Ero
sion
(U
plift)
Heatand/orPressure
H
e
a
t
a
n
d
/
o
r
P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e
M
e
lt
i
n
g
C
em
entation
and
B
u
r
ia
l
C
o
m
paction
and/or
Depo
s
iti
o
n
IGNEOUS
ROCK
SEDIMENTS
MAGMA
METAMORPHIC
ROCK
SEDIMENTARY
ROCK
0.0001
0.001
0.01
0.1
1.0
10.0
100.0
PARTICLE DIAMETER (cm)
Boulders
Cobbles
Pebbles
Sand
Silt
Clay
1000
500
50
100
10
5
1
0.5
0.1
0.05
0.01
STREAM VELOCITY (cm/s)
This generalized graph shows the water velocity
needed to maintain, but not start, movement. Variations
occur due to differences in particle density and shape.
25.6
6.4
0.2
0.006
0.0004
Rock Cycle in Earth’s Crust
Scheme for Igneous Rock Identification
Relationship of Transported
Particle Size to Water Velocity
Pyroxene
(green)
Amphibole
(black)
Biotite
(black)
Potassium
feldspar
(pink to white)
(relative by volume)
MINERAL COMPOSITION
Quartz
(clear to
white)
CHARACTERISTICS
MAFIC (rich in Fe, Mg)
HIGHER
DARKER
FELSIC
(rich in Si, Al)
LOWER
LIGHTER
CRYSTAL
SIZE
TEXTURE
Pumice
INTRUSIVE
(Plutonic)
EXTRUSIVE
(Volcanic)
ENVIRONMENT OF FORMATION
Plagioclase feldspar
(white to gray)
Olivine
(green)
COMPOSITION
DENSITY
COLOR
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
IGNEOUS ROCKS
non-
crystalline
Glassy
Basaltic glass
Obsidian
(usually appears black)
less than
1 mm
Fine
Basalt
AndesiteRhyolite
1 mm
to
10 mm
Coarse
Peri-
dotiteGabbro
DioriteGranite
Pegmatite
10 mm
or
larger
Very
coarse
Scoria Vesicular
(gas
pockets)
Dunite
Non-
vesicular
Non-
vesicular
Vesicular basaltVesicular rhyolite
Vesicular
andesite
Diabase

18. Physical Setting/Earth Science Reference Tables — 2011 Edition 7
INORGANIC LAND-DERIVED SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
COMPOSITIONTEXTURE GRAIN SIZE COMMENTS ROCK NAME MAP SYMBOL
Rounded fragments
Angular fragments
Mostly
quartz,
feldspar, and
clay minerals;
may contain
fragments of
other rocks
and minerals
Pebbles, cobbles,
and/or boulders
embedded in sand,
silt, and/or clay
Clastic
(fragmental)
Very fine grain
Compact; may split
easily
Conglomerate
Breccia
CHEMICALLY AND/OR ORGANICALLY FORMED SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
Crystalline
Halite
Gypsum
Dolomite
Calcite
Carbon
Crystals from
chemical
precipitates
and evaporites
Rock salt
Rock gypsum
Dolostone
Limestone
Bituminous coal
. . . . .
. . . .
Sand
(0.006 to 0.2 cm)
Silt
(0.0004 to 0.006 cm)
Clay
(less than 0.0004 cm)
Sandstone
Siltstone
Shale
Fine to coarse
COMPOSITIONTEXTURE GRAIN SIZE COMMENTS ROCK NAME MAP SYMBOL
Fine
to
coarse
crystals
Microscopic to
very coarse
Precipitates of biologic
origin or cemented shell
fragments
Compacted
plant remains
. . . . .
. . . .
Bioclastic
Crystalline or
bioclastic
FOLIATED
Fine
Fine
to
medium
Medium
to
coarse
Regional
Low-grade
metamorphism of shale
Platy mica crystals visible
from metamorphism of clay
or feldspars
High-grade metamorphism;
mineral types segregated
into bands
Slate
Schist
Gneiss
COMPOSITIONTEXTURE
GRAIN
SIZE
COMMENTS ROCK NAME
TYPE OF
METAMORPHISM
(Heat and
pressure
increases)
MINERAL
ALIGNMENT
BAND-
ING
MAP SYMBOL
Foliation surfaces shiny from microscopic mica crystals
Phyllite
GARNET
PYROXENE
FELDSPAR
AMPHIBOLE
MICA
QUARTZ
Hornfels
NONFOLIATED
Metamorphism of
quartz sandstone
Metamorphism of
limestone or dolostone
Pebbles may be distorted
or stretched
Metaconglomerate
Quartzite
Marble
Coarse
Fine
to
coarse
Quartz
Calcite and/or
dolomite
Various
minerals
Contact
(heat)
Various rocks changed by
heat from nearby
magma/lava
Various
minerals
Fine
Anthracite coalRegional
Metamorphism of
bituminous coal
CarbonFine
Regional
or
contact
Scheme for Metamorphic Rock Identification
Scheme for Sedimentary Rock Identification

19. Physical Setting/Earth Science Reference Tables — 2011 Edition 8
PLEISTOCENE
PLIOCENE
MIOCENE
OLIGOCENE
EOCENE
PALEOCENE
LATE
EARLY
LATE
MIDDLE
EARLY
LATE
MIDDLE
EARLY
LATE
MIDDLE
EARLY
LATE
MIDDLE
EARLY
LATE
MIDDLE
EARLY
LATE
EARLY
LATE
MIDDLE
EARLY
LATE
MIDDLE
EARLY
EARLY
LATE
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
Elliptocephala
Cryptolithus
Phacops Hexameroceras Manticoceras
Eucalyptocrinus
Ctenocrinus
Tetragraptus
Dicellograptus Eurypterus
Stylonurus
B LA EC D G HF I J NK M
CentrocerasValcouroceras Coelophysis
(Index fossils not drawn to scale)
EraEon
PHANERO-
ZOIC
PRECAMBRIAN
ARCHEAN PROTEROZOIC
L
A
T
E
L
A
T
E
M
I
D
D
L
E
M
I
D
D
L
E
E
A
R
L
Y
E
A
R
L
Y
0
500
1000
2000
3000
4000
4600
Million years ago
CENOZOIC
MESOZOIC
PALEOZOIC
QUATERNARY
NEOGENE
PALEOGENE
CRETACEOUS
JURASSIC
TRIASSIC
PERMIAN
CARBONIF-
EROUS
DEVONIAN
Period Epoch Life on Earth
SILURIAN
ORDOVICIAN
CAMBRIAN
580
488
444
416
318
299
200
146
Million years ago
NY Rock
Record
PENNSYLVANIAN
HOLOCENE
65.5
251
1.8
5.3
0.01
0
23.0
33.9
MISSISSIPPIAN
Humans, mastodonts, mammoths
55.8
Large carnivorous mammals
Abundant grazing mammals
Earliest grasses
Many modern groups of mammals
Mass extinction of dinosaurs, ammonoids, and
many land plants
Earliest flowering plants
Diverse bony fishes
Earliest birds
Earliest mammals
Mass extinction of many land and marine
organisms (including trilobites)
Mammal-like reptiles
Abundant reptiles
Extensive coal-forming forests
Abundant amphibians
Large and numerous scale trees and seed ferns
(vascular plants); earliest reptiles
359
Earliest amphibians and plant seeds
Extinction of many marine organisms
Earth’s first forests
Earliest ammonoids and sharks
Abundant fish
Earliest insects
Earliest land plants and animals
Abundant eurypterids
Invertebrates dominant
Earth’s first coral reefs
Burgess shale fauna (diverse soft-bodied organisms)
Earliest fishes
Earliest trilobites
542
Abundant stromatolites
Ediacaran fauna (first multicellular, soft-bodied
marine organisms)
Extinction of many primitive marine organisms
First
sexually
reproducing
organisms
Oldest known rocks
Estimated time of origin
of Earth and solar system
Sediment
Bedrock
Abundant dinosaurs and ammonoids
Earliest dinosaurs
Great diversity of life-forms with shelly parts
1300
Evidence of biological
carbon
Earliest stromatolites
Oldest microfossils
Oceanic oxygen
produced by
cyanobacteria
combines with
iron, forming
iron oxide layers
on ocean floor
Oceanic oxygen
begins to enter
the atmosphere

20. Physical Setting/Earth Science Reference Tables — 2011 Edition 9
Grenville orogeny:metamorphism of
bedrock now exposed in the Adirondacks
and Hudson Highlands
Advance and retreat of last continental ice
Sands and clays underlying Long Island and
Staten Island deposited on margin of Atlantic
Ocean
Dome-like uplift of Adirondack region begins
Intrusion of Palisades sill
Initial opening of Atlantic Ocean
North America and Africa separate
Pangaea begins to break up
Catskill delta forms
Erosion of Acadian Mountains
Acadian orogenycaused by collision of
North America and Avalon and closing
of remaining part of Iapetus Ocean
Salt and gypsum deposited in evaporite basins
Erosion of Taconic Mountains; Queenston delta
forms
Taconian orogenycaused by closing
of western part of Iapetus Ocean and
collision between North America and
volcanic island arc
Widespread deposition over most of New York
along edge of Iapetus Ocean
Rifting and initial opening of Iapetus Ocean
Erosion of Grenville Mountains
OF NEW YORK STATE
Mastodont
Beluga Whale
Cooksonia
Bothriolepis
Maclurites Eospirifer
Mucrospirifer
Aneurophyton
CondorNaples Tree Cystiphyllum
Lichenaria Pleurodictyum
PO RQ S T U V W X Y Z
Platyceras
Time Distribution of Fossils
(including important fossils of New York)
Important Geologic
Events in New York
Inferred Positions of
Earth’s Landmasses
ADU (2011)
The center of each lettered circle indicates the approximate time of
existence of a specific index fossil (e.g. Fossil lived at the end
of the Early Cambrian).
PLACODERM FISH
A
Alleghenian orogenycaused by
collision of North America and
Africa along transform margin,
forming Pangaea
119 million years ago
359 million years ago
458 million years ago
232 million years ago
59 million years ago
TRILOBITES
C
B
A
BIRDS
S
E
D
F
NAUTILOIDS
AMMONOIDS
G
CRINOIDS
H
I
J
K
GRAPTOLITES
L
DINOSAURS
MAMMALS
O
N
EURYPTERIDS
MP
Q
VASCULAR PLANTS
T
U
V
CORALS
R
BRACHIOPODS
GASTROPODS
W
X
Y
Z

21. Physical Setting/Earth Science Reference Tables — 2011 Edition 10
Inferred Properties of Earth’s Interior

22. 24
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
1 2 34 567 8
EPICENTER DISTANCE (× 10
3
km)
P
910
S
TRAVEL TIME (min)
0
0
Physical Setting/Earth Science Reference Tables — 2011 Edition 11
Earthquake P-Wave and S-Wave Travel Time

23. 1
–33
–28
–24
–21
–18
–14
–12
–10
–7
–5
–3
–1
1
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
19
21
23
25
27
29
2
–36
–28
–22
–18
–14
–12
–8
–6
–3
–1
1
3
6
8
11
13
15
17
19
21
23
25
27
0
–20
–18
–16
–14
–12
–10
–8
–6
–4
–2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
26
28
30
–20
–18
–16
–14
–12
–10
–8
–6
–4
–2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
26
28
30
3
–29
–22
–17
–13
–9
–6
–4
–1
1
4
6
9
11
13
15
17
20
22
24
26
4
–29
–20
–15
–11
–7
–4
–2
1
4
6
9
11
14
16
18
20
22
24
5
–24
–17
–11
–7
–5
–2
1
4
7
9
12
14
16
18
21
23
6
–19
–13
–9
–5
–2
1
4
7
10
12
14
17
19
21
7
–21
–14
–9
–5
–2
1
4
7
10
12
15
17
19
8
–14
–9
–5
–1
2
4
8
10
13
16
18
9
–28
–16
–10
–6
–2
2
5
8
11
14
16
10
–17
–10
–5
–2
3
6
9
11
14
11
–17
–10
–5
–1
2
6
9
12
12
–19
–10
–5
–1
3
7
10
13
–19
–10
–5
0
4
8
14
–19
–10
–4
1
5
15
–18
–9
–3
1
1
28
40
48
55
61
66
71
73
77
79
81
83
85
86
87
88
88
89
90
91
91
92
92
92
93
93
2
11
23
33
41
48
54
58
63
67
70
72
74
76
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
86
0
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
–20
–18
–16
–14
–12
–10
–8
–6
–4
–2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
26
28
30
3
13
20
32
37
45
51
56
59
62
65
67
69
71
72
74
75
76
77
78
79
4
11
20
28
36
42
46
51
54
57
60
62
64
66
68
69
70
71
72
5
1
11
20
27
35
39
43
48
50
54
56
58
60
62
64
65
66
6
6
14
22
28
33
38
41
45
48
51
53
55
57
59
617
10
17
24
28
33
37
40
44
46
49
51
53
55
8
6
13
19
25
29
33
36
40
42
45
47
49
9
4
10
16
21
26
30
33
36
39
42
44
10
2
8
14
19
23
27
30
34
36
39
11
1
7
12
17
21
25
28
31
34
12
1
6
11
15
20
23
26
29
13
5
10
14
18
21
25
14
4
9
13
17
20
15
4
9
12
16
Difference Between Wet-Bulb and Dry-Bulb Temperatures (C°)
Difference Between Wet-Bulb and Dry-Bulb Temperatures (C°)Dry-Bulb
Tempera -
ture(°C)
Dry-Bulb
Tempera -
ture (°C)
Dewpoint (°C)
Relative Humidity (%)
Physical Setting/Earth Science Reference Tables — 2011 Edition 12

24. Temperature
Freezing
rain
Haze
Rain
FogSnow
Hail Rain
showers
Thunder-
storms
Drizzle
Sleet
Smog
Snow
showers
Air Masses
cA
cP
cT
mT
mP
continental arctic
continental polar
continental tropical
maritime tropical
maritime polar
Cold
Warm
Stationary
Occluded
Present Weather Fronts Hurricane
Tornado
Pressure
196
+19/
.25
28
27
1
2
Station Model Station Model Explanation
Water boils
220
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
–20
–40
–60
Room temperature
Water freezes
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
–10
–20
–30
–40
–50
380
370
360
350
340
330
320
310
300
290
280
270
260
250
240
230
220
One atmosphere
30.70
1040.0
1036.0
1032.0
1028.0
1024.0
1020.0
1016.0
1012.0
1008.0
1004.0
1000.0
996.0
992.0
988.0
984.0
980.0
976.0
972.0
968.0
30.60
30.50
30.40
30.30
30.20
30.10
30.00
29.90
29.80
29.70
29.60
29.50
29.40
29.30
29.20
29.10
29.00
28.90
28.80
28.70
28.60
28.50
Key to Weather Map Symbols
Physical Setting/Earth Science Reference Tables — 2011 Edition 13

25. Physical Setting/Earth Science Reference Tables — 2011 Edition 14
Gamma rays
X rays
Ultraviolet Infrared
Microwaves
Radio waves
Visible light
VioletBlueGreen Yellow Orange Red
Decreasing wavelength Increasing wavelength
(Not drawn to scale)
Electromagnetic Spectrum
Planetary Wind and Moisture
Belts in the Troposphere
The drawing on the right shows the
locations of the belts near the time of an
equinox. The locations shift somewhat
with the changing latitude of the Sun’s
vertical ray. In the Northern Hemisphere,
the belts shift northward in the summer
and southward in the winter.
(Not drawn to scale)
Selected
Properties of
Earth’s
Atmosphere

26. Physical Setting/Earth Science Reference Tables — 2011 Edition 15
Solar System Data
Celestial
Object
Mean Distance
from Sun
(million km)
Period of
Revolution
(d=days) (y=years)
Period of
Rotation at Equator
Eccentricity
of Orbit
Equatorial
Diameter
(km)
Mass
(Earth = 1)
Density
(g/cm
3
)
SUN — — 27 d —1,392,000333,000.00 1.4
MERCURY 57.9 88 d 59 d 0.206 4,879 0.06 5.4
VENUS 108.2 224.7 d 243 d 0.007 12,104 0.82 5.2
EARTH 149.6 365.26 d23 h 56 min 4 s 0.017 12,756 1.00 5.5
MARS 227.9 687 d24 h 37 min 23 s 0.093 6,794 0.11 3.9
JUPITER 778.4 11.9 y9 h 50 min 30 s 0.048142,984 317.83 1.3
SATURN 1,426.7 29.5 y 10 h 14 min 0.054120,536 95.16 0.7
URANUS 2,871.0 84.0 y 17 h 14 min 0.047 51,118 14.54 1.3
NEPTUNE 4,498.3 164.8 y 16 h 0.009 49,528 17.15 1.8
EARTH’S
MOON
149.6
(0.386 from Earth)
27.3 d 27.3 d 0.055 3,476 0.01 3.3
Characteristics of Stars
(Name in italics refers to star represented by a .)
(Stages indicate the general sequence of star development.)
Color
Surface Temperature (K)
0.0001
0.001
0.01
0.1
1
10
100
1,000
10,000
100,000
1,000,000
Luminosity
(Rate at which a star emits energy relative to the Sun)
20,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 3,000
Blue Blue White White Yellow
2,000
RedOrange
Sirius
Spica
Polaris
Rigel
Deneb
Betelgeuse
SUPERGIANTS
(Intermediate stage)
(Intermediate stage)
GIANTS
Barnard’s
Star
Proxima
Centauri
Pollux
Alpha Centauri
Aldebaran
Sun
Procyon B
Small
Stars
Massive
Stars
WHITE DWARFS
(Late stage)
MA
INS
EQU
ENC
E
(Early
stage)
40 Eridani B
30,000

27. 1–2

silver to
gray
black streak,
greasy feel
pencil lead,
lubricants
C Graphite
2.5
metallic
silver
gray-black streak, cubic cleavage,
density = 7.6 g/cm
3
ore of lead,
batteries
PbS Galena
5.5–6.5
black to
silver
black streak,
magnetic
ore of iron,
steel
Fe
3
O
4 Magnetite
6.5
brassy
yellow
green-black streak,
(fool’s gold)
ore of
sulfur
FeS
2 Pyrite
5.5 – 6.5
or 1

metallic silver or
earthy red
red-brown streak
ore of iron,
jewelry
Fe
2
O
3 Hematite
1
white to
green
greasy feel
ceramics,
paper
Mg
3
Si
4
O
10
(OH)
2 Talc
2
yellow to
amber
white-yellow streak sulfuric acid S Sulfur
2
white to
pink or gray
easily scratched
by fingernail
plaster of paris,
drywall
CaSO
4
•2H
2
O Selenite gypsum
2–2.5
colorless to
yellow
flexible in
thin sheets
paint, roofingKAl
3
Si
3
O
10
(OH)
2 Muscovite mica
2.5
colorless to
white
cubic cleavage,
salty taste
food additive,
melts ice
NaCl Halite
2.5–3
black to
dark brown
flexible in
thin sheets
construction
materials
K(Mg,Fe)
3
AlSi
3
O
10
(OH)
2
Biotite mica
3
colorless
or variable
bubbles with acid,
rhombohedral cleavage
cement,
lime
CaCO
3 Calcite
3.5
colorless
or variable
bubbles with acid
when powdered
building
stones
CaMg(CO
3
)
2
Dolomite
4
colorless or
variable
cleaves in
4 directions
hydrofluoric
acid
CaF
2 Fluorite
5–6
black to
dark green
cleaves in
2 directions at 90°
mineral collections,
jewelry
(Ca,Na) (Mg,Fe,Al)
(Si,Al)
2
O
6
Pyroxene
(commonly augite)
5.5
black to
dark green
cleaves at
56° and 124°
mineral collections,
jewelry
CaNa(Mg,Fe)
4
(Al,Fe,Ti)
3
Si
6
O
22
(O,OH)
2
Amphibole
(commonly hornblende)
6
white to
pink
cleaves in
2 directions at 90°
ceramics,
glass
KAlSi
3
O
8
Potassium feldspar
(commonly orthoclase)
6
white to
gray
cleaves in 2 directions,
striations visible
ceramics,
glass
(Na,Ca)AlSi
3
O
8 Plagioclase feldspar
6.5
green to
gray or brown
commonly light green
and granular
furnace bricks,
jewelry
(Fe,Mg)
2
SiO
4 Olivine
7
colorless or
variable
glassy luster, may form
hexagonal crystals
glass, jewelry,
electronics
SiO
2 Quartz
6.5–7.5
dark red
to green
often seen as red glassy grains
in NYS metamorphic rocks
jewelry (NYS gem),
abrasives
Fe
3
Al
2
Si
3
O
12 Garnet
HARD- COMMON DISTINGUISHING
LUSTER NESS COLORS CHARACTERISTICS USE(S) COMPOSITION* MINERAL NAME
Nonmetallic luster
*Chemical symbols: Al = aluminum Cl = chlorine H = hydrogen Na = sodium S = sulfur
C = carbon F = fluorine K = potassium O = oxygen Si = silicon
Ca = calcium Fe = iron Mg = magnesium Pb = lead Ti = titanium
= dominant form of breakage
Metallic luster
Either
FRACTURE
CLEAVAGE
Properties of Common Minerals
Physical Setting/Earth Science Reference Tables — 2011 Edition 16

28. Earth Science Peer Review Worksheet

Attention Earth Scientists! Use this form to review your peers’ work. (Hint: This can be used to
review websites, wikis, papers, or any type of project!) Remember to be positive and fair. Here
are your tasks:
1. Insert your name, your peer’s name, and the title of the project.
2. Carefully review your fellow student’s efforts.
3. Tell your peer what you like. Example: “I like the way you referred to your picture
and created an easy link to the picture for reference.”
4. Suggest some ways to make your peer’s work better. Example: “It was nice that
you put the title of each landform at the top. I think they would be easier to see if
the titles were larger.”
Name of reviewer: _____________________________
Name of person whose work is being reviewed: ____________________________
Title of the project: __________________________________________________
Here are some things I like: ______________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Here are some things I think you could improve upon: ________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
On a scale of 1-10, I think your website is a . (Use the guidance provided below to help
you decide. Feel free to select numbers between those suggested.)

Suggested guidance:
“10” Your website is interesting and attractive and I would find it to be a useful tool from
which to study.
“5” Your website has a few significant errors but still contains good information that I
consider useful.
“1” Your website needs a lot of work to make it useful as a study tool.

29. Landform Unit Project Rubric
This is an interesting unit where we will learn about many of the landforms you see around you on an everyday
basis. This will be especially fun because you will be in charge of finding, recording, and describing certain
landforms and creating a website to display them. This website will be yours to use for study and review. You
will spend some of your time working in groups. As always, your ability to effectively work with your team
members is important to your learning. If you do your share, you will learn more and others will too! You are
also expected to visit the websites of your classmates to review the work they have done. Not only will you
learn from their efforts, but they will learn from you. You will be able to tell them what is good and what needs
improvement. The information contained in this rubric describes how you will be assessed for this unit. Read
carefully and good luck!
Assessed Task
Attend NYS Landform Field Trip or accomplishes authorized replacement task and works diligently toward project
completion
Student is present and
actively engages tasks
Student is present but is
occassionally distracted
from tasks
Student is present, but
is often distracted from tasks
Student is present
but distracts others from tasks
Student not
present and does not accomplish
replacement task
Document one landform (solo work); must include the following:
Name of the landform type
Authentic photograph of the landform
Authentic observation of the landform
GPS coordinates plotted on a map of their location during observation
Information about the landform such as how it was created (what processes), its size, its importance to the area/
landscape etc.
Documentation of
landform is complete,
accurate, well
presented, and
organized
Documentation of
landform lacks one or
two important details;
presentation style is
good
Documentation of landform lacks several
important details; presentation of
information is fair
Documentation of
landform lacks many important
details;
presentation is
distracting or poor
Little or no
documentation of landform
Create a website that communicates important information about landforms. This site must:
Be Visually Attractive Be
Scientifically Accurate Contain all
required information (from #6 above) for three landforms (one solo, two additional from team members)
Website is attractive,
accurate, and contains
all required information
Website lacks one or
two pieces of information or contains
minor distractions
Website lacks several
important pieces of
information or has
significant distractions
Website lacks a
logical flow, is missing significant
information and is
poorly designed
Website not
accomplished
Work effectively in Group Context: Share
workload with two group members Visit a minimum
of three peer websites and complete Peer Review Document *Team members will be
assessed based on their individual efforts toward group effort
Workload is shared and
accomplished in a
healthy team
environment
Workload is mostly
shared but some
evidence of resistance
to team effort
Workload partially
shared but team
dynamics distracted
from task
accomplishment
Workload uneven
due to team dynamics
No effort made
toward team accomplishment
Timeliness: Accomplish
all tasks no later than assignment due date
All tasks accomplished
and submitted no later
than due date
Not Applicable Not Applicable Not ApplicableSome or all tasks
not submitted on time

30. Landforms Field Trip



Items to bring:



_____ Camera (1 per group)

_____ GPS Unit (1 per group)



_____ Pen/Pencil

_____ Journal





Reminders:

You will be visiting landforms and will be outdoors. Please bring

appropriate clothing for the day’s weather forecast. ex) sunglasses,

raincoat, sweater

We will be walking around a bit so wear sneakers or boots.

We will be off of school property, but school rules still apply-

BE COURTEOUS AND CAREFUL!



Directions:

At each landform that we visit:

YOUR GROUP will:

Take a photo of the landform

Take a GPS reading of your location

YOU will:

Write your authentic (your own) observations in your journals.

Don’t forget to be on the lookout for those 3 interesting facts, some of them

could come from your observations.



OBSERVATIONS:

Be sure to take notice of what the landform looks like as well as the area

around it. It may be wise to be watching the landscape on the bus ride to

each landform. Write a lot about what you see, you will have your picture,

but nothing is like seeing a landform in real life.

31. This project exceeds the
requirements set forth in the
assignment and receives this seal
of excellence in recognition of
work well done.
NYS
NYS Landforms
Home
Adirondack Mountains
Finger Lakes
Niagara Falls
Howe Caverns
Thousand Islands
Moraines and Drumlins
Glaciers
Teacher Page
Rubrics and Student Forms
Google Maps Landform Locations
LocationsGoogle Maps Landform
Embedded KML Viewer
Map data ©2012 Google -
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